In what’s perhaps the most San Francisco thing in recent memory, a glowing dinosaur recently strolled by a Tesla Cybertruck in Dolores Park.
Teslas and San Francisco, more often than not, coexist within the same sentences when waxing about electric cars in the SF Bay Area. On any given day, these “Muskmobiles,” as they were, seem unavoidable. And you’d be right to think so.
In 2019, the California DMV reported San Francisco had 54,224 registered Teslas, making up over 10% of all vehicles registered in San Francisco for that year. As sales figures continued to climb, that corollary has only increased.
When the Cybertruck debuted nearly five years ago, the interwebs were in an ecstatic tizzy and fit of humor… over the shatter-proof glass, indeed, shattering during a live demonstration. Fast forward to November of last year, customers began taking delivery of the Delorean-like truck with production and distribution ramping up expectingly early this year; California buyers finally got their hands on their vehicles in February.
Now, these trucks are quickly becoming ubiquitous — especially here in San Francisco.
They’re polarizing… capable of eliciting an array of emotions from any San Franciscan, spanning the gamut between overt iration and happenstance excitement. (Admittedly, I’m somewhere in the former camp.) But it’s hard to fume when there’s an LED dinosaur walking past one, which is exactly what happened near SF’s Mission Dolores Park in what was possibly the most San Francisco thing as of late.
Captured by Elijah Wood ([at]knockonwood91on IG) earlier this month, one of the stainless-steel Muskmobiles was parked along Dolores Street when suddenly a bipedal dinosaur lit up like a Christmas tree passed the stationary automobile en route… somewhere. The soft, bright blue glow off the upright raptor — helmed by a man inside, gesticulating his arms wildly to animate the large-than-life puppet — refracted off the “tucks” bodywork.
Never change, San Francisco. We love you, and your infallible quirks.
